Texas Family Code 54.05 – Hearing to Modify Disposition
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(a) Except as provided by Subsection (a-1), any disposition, except a commitment to the Texas Juvenile Justice Department, may be modified by the juvenile court as provided in this section until:
(1) the child reaches:
(A) the child’s 18th birthday; or
(B) the child’s 19th birthday, if the child was placed on determinate sentence probation under § 54.04(q); or
(2) the child is earlier discharged by the court or operation of law.
(a-1) Repealed by Acts 2015, 84th Leg., R.S., Ch. 935 , Sec. 41(3), eff. September 1, 2015.
Terms Used In Texas Family Code 54.05
- Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
- Grand jury: agreement providing that a lender will delay exercising its rights (in the case of a mortgage,
- Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.
- Justice: when applied to a magistrate, means justice of the peace. See Texas Government Code 312.011
- Probation: A sentencing alternative to imprisonment in which the court releases convicted defendants under supervision as long as certain conditions are observed.
- Probation officers: Screen applicants for pretrial release and monitor convicted offenders released under court supervision.
- Testimony: Evidence presented orally by witnesses during trials or before grand juries.
- United States: includes a department, bureau, or other agency of the United States of America. See Texas Government Code 311.005
- Written: includes any representation of words, letters, symbols, or figures. See Texas Government Code 311.005
(b) Except for a commitment to the Texas Juvenile Justice Department or to a post-adjudication secure correctional facility under Section 54.04011 or a placement on determinate sentence probation under § 54.04(q), all dispositions automatically terminate when the child reaches the child’s 18th birthday.
(c) There is no right to a jury at a hearing to modify disposition.
(d) A hearing to modify disposition shall be held on the petition of the child and his parent, guardian, guardian ad litem, or attorney, or on the petition of the state, a probation officer, or the court itself. Reasonable notice of a hearing to modify disposition shall be given to all parties.
(e) After the hearing on the merits or facts, the court may consider written reports from probation officers, professional court employees, guardians ad litem appointed under § 51.11(d), or professional consultants in addition to the testimony of other witnesses. On or before the second day before the date of the hearing to modify disposition, the court shall provide the attorney for the child and the prosecuting attorney with access to all written matter to be considered by the court in deciding whether to modify disposition. The court may order counsel not to reveal items to the child or the child’s parent, guardian, or guardian ad litem if such disclosure would materially harm the treatment and rehabilitation of the child or would substantially decrease the likelihood of receiving information from the same or similar sources in the future.
(f) Except as provided by Subsection (j), a disposition based on a finding that the child engaged in delinquent conduct that violates a penal law of this state or the United States of the grade of felony may be modified so as to commit the child to the Texas Juvenile Justice Department or, if applicable, a post-adjudication secure correctional facility operated under Section 152.0016, Human Resources Code, if the court after a hearing to modify disposition finds by a preponderance of the evidence that the child violated a reasonable and lawful order of the court. A disposition based on a finding that the child engaged in habitual felony conduct as described by § 51.031 or in delinquent conduct that included a violation of a penal law listed in § 53.045(a) may be modified to commit the child to the Texas Juvenile Justice Department or, if applicable, a post-adjudication secure correctional facility operated under Section 152.0016, Human Resources Code, with a possible transfer to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice for a definite term prescribed by, as applicable, § 54.04(d)(3) or Section 152.0016(g), Human Resources Code, if the original petition was approved by the grand jury under § 53.045 and if after a hearing to modify the disposition the court finds that the child violated a reasonable and lawful order of the court.
(g) Except as provided by Subsection (j), a disposition based solely on a finding that the child engaged in conduct indicating a need for supervision may not be modified to commit the child to the Texas Juvenile Justice Department. A new finding in compliance with § 54.03 must be made that the child engaged in delinquent conduct that meets the requirements for commitment under § 54.04.
(h) A hearing shall be held prior to placement in a post-adjudication secure correctional facility for a period longer than 30 days or commitment to the Texas Juvenile Justice Department as a modified disposition. In other disposition modifications, the child and the child’s parent, guardian, guardian ad litem, or attorney may waive hearing in accordance with § 51.09.
(i) The court shall specifically state in the order its reasons for modifying the disposition and shall furnish a copy of the order to the child.
(j) If, after conducting a hearing to modify disposition without a jury, the court finds by a preponderance of the evidence that a child violated a reasonable and lawful condition of probation ordered under § 54.04(q), the court may modify the disposition to commit the child to the Texas Juvenile Justice Department under § 54.04(d)(3) or, if applicable, a post-adjudication secure correctional facility operated under Section 152.0016, Human Resources Code, for a term that does not exceed the original sentence assessed by the court or jury.
(k) Repealed by Acts 2007, 80th Leg., R.S., Ch. 263, Sec. 64(2), eff. June 8, 2007.
(l) The court may extend a period of probation under this section at any time during the period of probation or, if a motion for revocation or modification of probation is filed before the period of supervision ends, before the first anniversary of the date on which the period of probation expires.
(m) If the court places the child on probation outside the child’s home or commits the child to the Texas Juvenile Justice Department or to a post-adjudication secure correctional facility operated under Section 152.0016, Human Resources Code, the court:
(1) shall include in the court’s order a determination that:
(A) it is in the child’s best interests to be placed outside the child’s home;
(B) reasonable efforts were made to prevent or eliminate the need for the child’s removal from the child’s home and to make it possible for the child to return home; and
(C) the child, in the child’s home, cannot be provided the quality of care and level of support and supervision that the child needs to meet the conditions of probation; and
(2) may approve an administrative body to conduct a permanency hearing pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 675 if required during the placement or commitment of the child.